SSS-Rank Brides: The Hunter Who Married Dungeon Queens-Chapter 97 — Predator Strike
The alarm spread across the Constellation Network like a shockwave.
It began as a faint disturbance—one small fluctuation among thousands of active systems monitoring the outer reaches of their territory. But within seconds the anomaly cascaded through the lattice, setting off a chain reaction of warnings across dozens of defensive nodes.
Ethan felt it before the systems finished announcing it.
The sensation arrived through the Convergence link like a sudden pulse of cold energy brushing across his awareness.
Something had gone wrong.
He opened his eyes instantly.
Around him, the Convergence chamber was calm—too calm for the tension he felt building beneath the surface of the network.
Then the alarms arrived.
A sharp, resonant tone echoed through the chamber.
"Warning," the Constellation system announced.
"External hostile interaction detected."
Ethan stepped toward the central platform before the message even finished.
"Location."
The projection sphere ignited.
A massive holographic map of the Constellation unfolded around them, hundreds of star systems glowing softly within the lattice of shared energy.
One system flashed red.
At the far outer edge of their territory.
A newborn node.
The Convergence system expanded the image automatically, zooming toward the troubled region.
A young star system appeared before them—its blue-white sun blazing at the center while three inhabited worlds orbited within the inner band of the system.
The civilizations there had only recently joined the Constellation Network.
Their technology was young.
Their defenses fragile.
They had activated their node barely days earlier.
And something else was there.
Something wrong.
Lysarra moved to the interface instantly.
Her golden aura sharpened with focus as streams of data flowed through her hands.
"Predator contact," she said sharply.
The projection flared brighter.
The distant star system twisted under the pressure of a massive gravitational distortion.
Space itself warped around an enormous shadow pressing against the newborn node’s defensive field.
Dark energy rippled across the projection like slow-moving waves of hunger.
Kaelith’s eyes lit with immediate focus.
"Of course it is."
Ethan studied the battlefield carefully.
The Constellation map expanded around them, revealing the newborn system in full detail.
Three inhabited planets.
Orbital defense rings.
A handful of young fleets barely holding formation.
All of it wrapped inside a fragile energy shield that flickered under the strain of the Predator’s presence.
They had joined the Constellation with hope.
With curiosity.
They barely understood the war unfolding across the network.
"They’re not ready for this," Ethan said quietly.
Lysarra’s fingers danced across the interface as she ran rapid calculations.
Energy vectors unfolded across the projection like glowing pathways.
"The Predator detected their activation signature," she replied calmly.
"It is attempting early consumption."
Kaelith cracked her knuckles.
"Well."
Her grin sharpened.
"Then we’re about to ruin its day."
The system shook again.
Even through the projection, the violence of the attack was unmistakable.
A massive tendril of dark energy pierced the newborn node’s defensive field like a spear.
The impact sent ripples through the protective barrier surrounding the system.
Energy began draining rapidly from the orbital structures protecting the inhabited worlds.
Defense satellites dimmed.
Shield generators flickered.
The young civilization’s fleets scrambled desperately to respond.
Ethan didn’t hesitate.
"Triad convergence," he said.
The chamber lights dimmed instantly.
Energy systems across the Convergence World shifted into synchronization mode.
Kaelith stepped to Ethan’s right.
Her presence sharpened like a drawn blade, frostlight gathering along the edges of her aura.
Lysarra moved to his left.
Calm.
Focused.
Her golden energy already weaving predictive patterns across the battlefield.
The three of them reached out simultaneously.
Their powers touched.
Then aligned.
Energy flowed instantly between them.
Not chaotic.
Not overwhelming.
Perfectly synchronized.
The Convergence chamber dissolved around them.
Their shared awareness expanded outward through the Constellation Network.
Nodes across dozens of systems lit up as the triad’s power surged through the lattice.
Their consciousness unfolded across the battlefield.
The newborn system came into view.
Reality twisted around the Predator’s form.
The creature was enormous.
An immense, shifting mass of consuming darkness pressing against the system’s defenses like a living storm.
Its tendrils stretched across thousands of kilometers, draining energy from every structure they touched.
Orbital defense platforms collapsed under the pressure.
Energy conduits snapped.
Shield grids flickered wildly.
Below them, the young civilization’s fleets were already fighting.
Their ships moved bravely through the chaos.
Sleek vessels fired concentrated beams of stellar plasma into the Predator’s outer mass.
Explosions rippled across its surface.
But the attacks barely slowed it.
Kaelith’s voice cut through the shared mindspace.
"They’re going to get wiped out."
Ethan responded instantly.
"Not today."
Their fusion deepened.
Three minds.
One strategy.
Lysarra’s calculations spread across the battlefield like glowing paths of probability.
Predicted movements.
Weak points.
Optimal strike angles.
"Primary weakness detected," she said.
"Energy convergence point along the Predator’s central mass."
Kaelith grinned.
"Good."
"I was hoping you’d say that."
Ethan focused their shared power.
Energy surged outward through the Constellation Network.
Dozens of distant nodes responded immediately, amplifying the triad’s presence inside the newborn system.
Their influence spread like a protective storm.
The Predator noticed instantly.
Its enormous body shifted in the void.
Dark tendrils curled inward as the creature turned toward the incoming threat.
Too late.
Kaelith launched the first strike.
A concentrated beam of convergence energy tore through space.
The attack traveled faster than the newborn fleets could track.
It slammed into the Predator’s outer mass with devastating force.
The creature recoiled.
For the first time since entering the system—
the Predator hesitated.
Across the battlefield, the young fleets paused in stunned silence.
Their sensors struggled to interpret what had just happened.
Then Ethan opened a communication channel across the system.
His voice echoed through every command deck.
"Constellation command," he said calmly.
"Pull your ships back and reinforce your shields."
A young voice responded from one of the flagships.
Shaken.
Uncertain.
"W-who are you?"
Kaelith answered before Ethan could.
"Your cavalry."
The triad moved again.
This time the Predator struck back.
Several massive tendrils lashed outward with terrifying speed.
They tore through nearby asteroids like paper.
Chunks of shattered rock exploded across the battlefield.
Then the tendrils turned.
Targeting the convergence energy source directly.
Ethan felt the incoming impact seconds before it landed.
The strike crashed into their shared connection like a tidal wave of destructive energy.
The force of it rippled through the triad link.
For a brief moment—
their synchronization wavered.
The battlefield flickered.
Kaelith moved instantly.
Within the convergence space she stepped closer to Ethan, her frost energy expanding outward like a shield.
Her power pressed against his.
Stabilizing.
Grounding.
"Stay with us," she said firmly.
On the other side, Lysarra mirrored the motion.
Her golden energy flowed through the connection, smoothing the turbulence caused by the Predator’s attack.
"Synchronization restored," she confirmed calmly.
The brief contact sent a surge of warmth through the triad link.
Even in the middle of battle—
their bond anchored the system.
Ethan steadied himself.
"Thanks."
Kaelith smirked through the shared connection.
"Try not to burn out before the fun part."
Lysarra’s calculations updated again.
New predictive pathways flashed across the battlefield.
"The Predator is adapting," she warned.
"We must strike now."
Ethan nodded.
"Full convergence."
Their energy surged.
Brighter than before.
Across the newborn system, the Constellation Network responded instantly.
Power streamed from distant nodes across the lattice.
Dozens of allied civilizations contributed energy through the network.
All of it flowed toward the triad.
The Predator sensed the shift.
Its massive form recoiled slightly.
For the first time—
the creature tried to retreat.
But Kaelith had already moved.
"Too slow," she said.
The triad’s final strike erupted from the center of their shared consciousness.
A massive wave of convergence energy surged through the battlefield.
The attack tore through the Predator’s central mass.
Energy armor shattered.
The creature’s core destabilized.
Dark tendrils collapsed inward.
The enormous entity began dissolving into fragments of fading energy.
Within seconds, the Predator withdrew.
Its broken mass slipping back into the dark spaces between stars.
The battle was over.
For now.
The newborn system slowly stabilized.
Its defensive fields flickered back to full strength as the surviving fleets regrouped around their planets.
Shattered asteroids drifted silently through space.
Emergency crews scrambled to repair damaged orbital structures.
In the Convergence chamber, Ethan released a long breath as the shared battlefield faded from view.
The chamber lights returned slowly.
The projection collapsed back into the central platform.
Kaelith stretched her shoulders.
"That one actually ran."
Lysarra studied the remaining energy echoes drifting through the system.
"It did not expect resistance at that level."
Ethan looked back at the map.
The newborn node still glowed softly.
Alive.
Intact.
Kaelith noticed the quiet satisfaction in his expression.
"You know," she said, nudging him lightly with her elbow, "you’re getting attached to these systems."
"They’re part of the Constellation now," he replied.
Lysarra nodded.
"And they survived."
For a moment the three of them simply stood together in the quiet chamber.
Their energies still faintly linked from the battle.
Outside the station, the stars drifted peacefully again.
But far beyond the system’s edge—
a faint ripple moved through the darkness.
The Predator had retreated.
And somewhere deep in the void—
it was learning.
